Faculty

Rev. David Mc Donald, DMin, has lectured on matters of methodology, churches, migrations and research in the Old Northwest Territory for more than 40 years. He is a Protestant minister serving churches in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin since the early 1990s. He is a past president of a number of genealogical bodies and organizations, society newsletter editor, and research coach.

Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA

Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA, has a passion for teaching genealogy. She is the Education Director for the National Genealogical Society and a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Angela enjoys coordinating courses for the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and she teaches at several other genealogy institutes. She served as the administrator of the ProGen Study Program for six years and is now on the board of directors.

Angela speaks at national conferences and has published articles in Crossroads, the APG Quarterly, and the NGS Magazine. She is a past president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and currently serves as a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists Education Fund.

Ruth Lapioli Merriman, BA, MLS, AG Emeritus

Ruth Lapioli Merriman, BA, MLS, AG Emeritus, is an emeritus Accredited Italian Genealogist with ICAPGen. She retired from FamilySearch nearly seven years ago after working 35 years as a cataloger, research specialist, and manager of the FHL International floor. Throughout those 35 years she worked with records from many parts of the world, but mostly she worked with Italian records: analyzing them; cataloging them; assisting others with their own research in Italy; and teaching locally, nationally, and internationally. She has a special love for her Italian colleagues with whom she has worked for so many years. Although she has retired from FamilySearch, she has not retired from family history.

She enjoys participating in what she calls “Random Acts of Genealogy” by helping others with brick walls and questions that she finds on the multiple Italian genealogy Facebook pages that she follows. She helped teach over 100 LDS missionaries in COVID lockdown in Italy how to index Italian records and how to do basic Italian genealogy. If you do research in Rome and its province and find your ancestors in a search on the FamilySearch website, you can probably thank these young people, and several “seasoned citizens."

Her father’s side of the family hails from several towns and villages in the provinces of L’Aquila and Pescara where she has visited several times. She has a neurotic fear of flying (just ask her husband) but her love of family history gets her on the plane and over to Italy—that’s how obsessed she is.

Moishe Miller

Moishe Miller, a family searcher since the late 1970s, became a family researcher in 2018 after attending his first NGS conference. Attending a series of institute-level courses on technique, standards, and writing led to his current passion. Miller is rewriting his pedigree, questioning old conclusions and existing family lore, merging documentary evidence and DNA for proof of parentage at each generation for every ancestral couple.

Moishe's passion for genealogy is part obsession and part a desire to preserve his family history. He has published family history in many forms, including a family website started in 1996, a 370-page hard-covered family history book, 1700 Pages of Testimony submitted to Yad Vashem (using software he designed to generate accurate PDFs from his family tree software), a 10' x 4' family chart with pictures printed on parchment-like media spanning ten generations, a 100-page picture-only book telling the story of his grandmother's life with 300 photos, a 14-page children's board book as a genealogical bedtime story for his youngest daughter, and many other books. His current pedigree project, written exclusively in MS Word, is over 600 pages. Using the Sosa-Stradonitz numbering system and NGSQ style, it will document all ancestors to the seventh generation.

Carly Lane Morgan, JD

Carly Lane Morgan owns Family Tree Notebooks, an organization system based on digital genealogy worksheets. She is a frequent speaker in the field of genealogy and focuses on social media, digital organization, and diversity in family history. She serves on the board of the California Genealogical Society and on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees for NGS and APG.
 

Sunny Jane Morton

Sunny Jane Morton is a genealogy educator. As a longtime Contributing Editor at Family Tree Magazine, she teaches everyday genealogists through feature articles and regular columns. As Content Director at Your DNA Guide, she helps others share their DNA discovery stories and provides content for the curriculum and marketing departments. As author of Story of My Life: A Workbook for Preserving Your Legacy (now in its 2nd edition), she teaches others how to document their own memories.

Sunny has expertise in U.S. record types, particularly church records. She is co-author of How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records, winner of a National Genealogical Society book award, and coordinator of the 2024 church records course at the GRIP Genealogy Institute. In 2024 she was awarded a Research Travel Grant by the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism to visit the University of Notre Dame archives as part of research for a forthcoming genealogist’s guide to archives of women religious. She has lectured internationally and at the Library of Congress.

Judy Nimer Muhn, EdM, FSA-Scot

Judy Nimer Muhn, EdM, FSA-Scot, has been researching her family tree from the age of 12, specializing in French-Canadian, Acadian, Native American and Michigan research. Becoming a professional in 1993 in Europe, she has lectured at National Genealogical Society conferences, RootsTech, Federation of Genealogical Societies as well as conferences in Europe and around North America. Owner of Lineage Journeys, she conducts research for clients and offers presentations in societies, churches, libraries and organizations.

Judy is the President of the Michigan Genealogical Council, President of the Oakland County Genealogical Society, board member & Awards Chair of the National Genealogical Society, former Secretary of the GeneaBloggers, and a member of many others. A co-founder of the English-Speaking Genealogists in Europe - NATO Chapter, Judy is a former volunteer in the Yuba-Marysville FamilySearch Center. She enjoys traveling the world to research in archives and museums in France, Scotland, Germany, Quebec, Ontario and around the United States. She and her husband Denny also are active members of their spiritual community in South Dakota and Michigan.

Greg Nelson

Greg Nelson is a Content Strategy specialist for Europe (primarily Nordic, Central Europe, and East Europe areas) at FamilySearch. He earned a BA in Russian from BYU, an MA in Slavic Linguistics and Literature from The Ohio State University, and BS in Computer Science from Weber State University. His current research is in finding ways for AI/Computer Generated Trees to connect families in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Investigating records sets and ensuring there are high quality indexes available for the creation of the trees is his favorite assignment at FamilySearch. He is also interested in records surrounding the transition from the Russian Empire to the Soviet period, which includes repressions records, remembrance books, filtration records, and records from the gulag. He has a special interest in all events surrounding the Holodomor and its impact on the peoples of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. He enjoys powerlifting, reading books about folklore and Soviet Russia, and causing chaos in cooperation with his grandchildren. He resides in Stansbury Park, Utah with his wife and children.

Amber Oldenburg

Amber Oldenburg is a genealogist, lecturer, and social media manager at Your DNA Guide, with a degree in Family History Research from Brigham Young University-Idaho. She currently serves as an online instructor in the Family History Research program at BYU-Idaho. She suffers from an incurable case of wanderlust and is an occasional procrasibaker, who specializes in Midwest research. She is passionate about pioneers and homesteaders and is currently pursuing accreditation in the North Central Region from the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists.

David Ouimette, CG, CGL

David Ouimette, CG, CGL, senior program manager at FamilySearch, leads content strategy for Asia-Pacific, establishing record priorities including the preservation and publication of historical documents and oral genealogy. He has researched in several hundred archives in seventy countries spanning all continents. Previously, David was lead developer and product manager at Ancestry.com, responsible for family trees, United States records, the search experience, and the initial DNA products developed with Sorenson Molecular. David serves as Vice President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and previously served as Vice President of the Utah Genealogical Association and on the board of the National Genealogical Society. David and his wife Deanna have eight children and nine grandchildren and reside in Highland, Utah.

Sandy Schilling Payne

Sandy Schilling Payne holds a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University. Her interest in genealogy began in 1994. She has since researched her Germanic family lines into the modern-day countries of Germany, France, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Canada, and United States. Her research interests include historical geography related to genealogy, the settlement locations of Germans in the Imperial Russian Empire, and the migrations and diaspora of Russian-Germans to the present day. Sandy is a founder and the author of the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations, a project that geolocates ancestral German colonies in the Russian Empire and its subsequent Soviet states on modern maps. She has been a speaker at international, national, and regional conferences. She is currently a member of the Black Sea German Research volunteer group and the webmaster for the Glückstal Colonies Research Association. She is also a member of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, the Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe, and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, where she served on the editorial review board for six years.

Lauren K. Peightel, MA

Lauren K. Peightel, MA, is an educator who is passionate about storytelling, teaching history through play, and food as a vehicle to making lasting personal connections. Peightel carries an academic background of the liberal arts, fine art, art therapy, art history, and entrepreneurial studies from Seton Hill University, a graduate degree in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University, and continuing education certificate in Leadership and Administration in History Organizations from the American Association for State and Local History. Before leaving central Pennsylvania for Indiana, she worked almost ten years in youth camps, academic and public libraries, small historical societies and galleries, and in collections for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Peightel now serves as a manager in the Education and Engagement team at the Indiana Historical Society for the last six years, and as a chair for the bi-annual Midwestern Roots family history conference. She is also the creator of the IN 4D sensory-based research method for more experiential research and storytelling for genealogists, and as educator for family historians, law students, and museum professionals for the Indiana Historical Society, Illinois State Genealogical Society Conference, Ohio Genealogical Society Conference, The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and History Leadership Institute for the American Association for State and Local History.

Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL

Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL, is a full-time professional genealogist and former coeditor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (2019–22). Board-certified since 2011, she served as a trustee and officer of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) and edited its newsletter, OnBoard. She conducts in-depth genealogical research to solve complex problems of identity and kinship for clients. Her personal and client research focuses primarily on the southeastern United States, New York, England, and Germany. Nancy lectures at national and local conferences and has instructed on skill-building topics and genealogy standards at BCG Education Fund workshops, SLIG, SLIG Academy, and GRIP. Her articles have appeared in the NGS Quarterly and other genealogical journals. She authored the “Research Reports” chapter in the Writing, Editing & Publishing section of Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice, & Standards (2018). Nancy holds postgraduate degrees from University of Arizona and London School of Economics in London, England.

Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR

Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, is an author, researcher, and instructor specializing in the use of social history and material culture to tell the story of historical women's lives. She holds two Master's degrees: one in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women's Studies) and the other in Religion. As an author, Gena has published two books, Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra (Arcadia Publishing) and From the Family Kitchen (F+W Media), and hundreds of articles in print magazines and online publications. Her writings can also be found on her two blogs, Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera, as well as the GenealogyBank and Legacy Family Tree Webinars blogs.

A highly sought-after instructor, Gena has taught material culture and social history at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and is a frequent presenter at seminars and conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Her professional associations include the American Quilt Study Group, the Association of Gravestone Studies, and the National Genealogical Society. Gena has conducted research for PBS, HGTV, and the Travel Channel and has collaborated on research for the Gemological Institute of America. Gena's current research projects focus on American cemeteries, cookbooks, signature quilts, and 20th-century women's lives.

Marian Pierre-Louis

Marian Pierre-Louis is a genealogy educator who specializes in house history research, southern New England (MA, CT, RI) research, and solving brick walls. Marian produced and hosted 100 episodes of Fieldstone Common, a history podcast, and 63 episodes of The Genealogy Professional podcast. Both of which are still available online on YouTube. She has written numerous articles for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ), the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) News, Medway & Millis Local Town Pages, as well as book reviews and over 500 articles for online content. She also contributed a chapter to The Stories Houses Tell – A Collection of Little Compton House Histories (2015) and again in a new volume, A Second Collection of Little Compton House Histories (2022). Marian is the Online Education Producer for Legacy Family Tree Webinars where she produces online genealogy education classes.

Tadeusz Pilat, MLIS, AG

Tadeusz Pilat, MLIS, AG, was born in Silesia, Poland (previously Schlesien, in Germany). He currently resides in eastern Poland and Germany. He pursued Library studies at the University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska in Lublin, Poland, focusing on the history of books and old documents. He specialized in "Supralibros" in Private Collections of the 16th to 18th centuries. In 1999, he was granted the degree of Master of Library and Information Science.

In 2003, Tadeusz became an Accredited Genealogist specializing in Polish research, including all partitions of the former Commonwealth of Poland. This accreditation was awarded by the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Because of his study of Information Science, Tadeusz is very interested in creating electronic databases, and he is working on a Lemko Extraction Project. Tadeusz was involved in a project of early (pre-1830) Mennonite property records in Polish archival repositories. He enjoys traveling to foreign countries such as USA, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovakia, England, Russia, Mongolia, and Libya (North Africa) where he lived for a while. In addition to being fluent in Polish, German, and English, he can read Latin, Russian Cyrillic and old German scripts. Tadeusz has given lectures on genealogy in Warsaw and Opole, Poland, as well as San Antonio, Texas, Salt Lake City, New Britain, Chicago, Michigan and Sacramento. He also was a lecturer of the online conferences for FEEFHS, GRIP, etc.

Darcie Hind Posz, CG, FASG

Darcie Hind Posz, CG, FASG, has been a board-certified genealogist since 2013. In 2015, she was the recipient of the American Society of Genealogists Scholar Award. A genealogical writer, she has been published in The Genealogist, The American Genealogist, National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The California Nugget, Connecticut Ancestry, The Connecticut Nutmegger, The Quarterly Journal of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, MASSOG: A Genealogical Magazine for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, Northumberland & Durham Family History Society Journal, Rhode Island Roots, the North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, UGA’s Crossroads, Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, and co-authored the chapter on lineage applications with Barbara J. Mathews, CG, FASG, in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards. She has published two books, The Chicago Stones: A Genealogy of Acquisition, Influence & Scandal and Recast: Vital Events Published in Variety in 1918 and 1919. In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists.

Kimberly T. Powell

Kimberly Powell is especially passionate about researching hard-to-find families in the Carolinas and Virginia and sharing her love of genealogy with others through teaching. She is the Education Director for the National Genealogical Society and a past president of the Association for Professional Genealogists. She served as the Genealogy Expert for About.com for sixteen years and is the author of several books, including most recently “The Challenge of Endogamy and Pedigree Collapse” in Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies and The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, 3rd edition. She has also contributed to several popular genealogy magazines, including BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, Family Tree Magazine, and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly.

Kimberly is on the faculty at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), as well as for the online genealogy programs offered through Boston University. You can find her online at Level Up Genealogy, https://www.levelupgenealogy.com.

Lori Lyn Price, MAS, MLA

Lori Lyn Price, MAS, MLA, is a professional genealogist, speaker, and writer, and owns BridgingThePast.com. She also owns 1918FluStories.com, where she shares family stories about the 1918 flu pandemic. She loves social history and medicine (perhaps due to working as a statistician in medical research for over 25 years) and helping genealogists bring their ancestors to life via understanding social and historical context. Current research includes colonial medicine, professional medical training and career opportunities for women in late 19th and early 20th century Utah, life in 19th century Utah, and the 1918 flu pandemic and its effect on families.

Lori Lyn has served on boards in various capacities for the Middlesex chapter of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists and the New England chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and currently serves as a member of the Publications Advisory Committee for APG. Her articles have appeared in the NGS Magazine, Crossroads, Forum, and local genealogy society magazines. She has spoken at local libraries, genealogical and historical societies, museums, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Legacy FamilyTree webinars, APG virtual chapter, Old North Church (Boston, MA), Tufts Medical Center, private events, and conferences including NERGC, the Massachusetts Genealogical Council, day-long conferences sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Virtual Genealogical Association Conference, History Camp Boston, and the Mormon History Association Conference.

Pamela Prickett

Pamela Prickett is an associate professor of sociology at Pomona College. She is the author of two books about Los Angeles, including The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels (with Stefan Timmermans) and Believing in South Central: Everyday Islam in the City of Angels. Her research and teaching focus on urban inequality, community-building, death/dying, religion, gender, mental health, and qualitative methods. Before academia, Pamela worked in television as a producer, host, and archival researcher.

Michael Ramage, JD, CG

Michael S. Ramage, JD, CG, is a full-time professional genealogist, author and lecturer. Mr. Ramage has served as a Trustee, officer and currently General Counsel of BCG, and he was the 2020-2022 President of the APG Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group. His 25-year law practice included real estate and estate law and litigation. He has taught numerous genealogy courses at genealogy conferences and institutes around the country. His related publications include: (1) Michael S. Ramage, JD, CG, and Catherine B. W. Desmarais, CG, Forensic Genealogy: Theory and Practice (National Genealogical Society, Falls Church, VA: summer 2024); and (2) the “Forensic Specialization” and “Ethical Considerations” chapters in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards, Elizabeth Shown Mills, editor (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2018).

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson, professional genealogist, founded the research and consulting firm Southern Heritage Genealogy to assist clients in their pursuit of their deep-south ancestors. Her personal family research coincides with that same geographical area and she enjoys finding ways to overcome the challenges presented by researching in the South.

Kim's favorite genealogy activity is serving the family history community by coaching and empowering others to break through barriers to achieve their goals. To that end, Kim created and developed the "Brick Wall Buster Cards" to show others her secret to solving tough genealogy problems and family mysteries. She regularly teaches and presents to groups across the country. She also writes for local and state genealogy publications and wrote the “Mississippi Research Guide” for Family Tree Magazine.

Kim earned a BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from Mississippi State University. She retired from service to the State of Mississippi after 25 years as an advocate for victims of violent crime and working in highway traffic safety programs.

Carol Roberts

Carol Roberts currently serves as the director of the Bedford County, Tennessee Archives and Records Department. She retired to her home county after 33 years as Conservator of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Her responsibilities there included physical preservation of original records, managing microfilming, and digital imaging of state and local records for preservation.

 

Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

Judy G. Russell, "The Legal Genealogist," is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches, and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. She has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and National Genealogical Society Magazine, among other publications.

Judy is a recipient of the Silver Tray Award from the Utah Genealogical Association and the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and she now serves as a member of the NGSQ editorial board. An internationally-known lecturer and course coordinator and faculty member at numerous genealogical institutes, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer from the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Her award-winning blog, The Legal Genealogist appears at her website, https://www.legalgenealogist.com.

Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA, is a long-time genealogical researcher and instructor. He coordinated and taught in advanced methodology, land, military, and beginning courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research from 2003-2017. Rick co-coordinates advanced land courses with Pam Sayre and legal courses with Judy Russell at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. He is an instructor at the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records. He also lectures at national conferences and presents nationwide seminars. Rick’s areas of expertise include the records of the National Archives, Irish research, land records, government documents, federal land law, military records, and urban research.

Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA

Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA, is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 5,300 titles in print. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty years, he specializes in the records of the National Archives, especially those that relate to the military. He is the former Coordinator of the Military tracks at IGHR, SLIG and GRIP.

Torhild Shirley, AG

Torhild Shirley, AG, is a native Norwegian, an Accredited Genealogist professional, and the owner of ScandinavianFamily.com. She is the ICAPGen Study Group coordinator and has led and mentored study groups for several years. Torhild has an associate's degree in technical translation from the University of Agder in Norway, an associate's degree in Family History Research from Brigham Young University-Idaho, completed courses at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and is a graduate of Research Like a Pro with DNA. She speaks five languages and is fluent in all Scandinavian languages.

Torhild's work experience includes assisting Norwegian law enforcement on cold cases, doing client research in all the Scandinavian countries, and translating. She is comfortable with the old Gothic handwriting used in Scandinavian documents and has transcribed and translated many letters from "Family in the Old Country," journals, patriarchal blessings, will and probate documents, land records, etc.

Gerald H. "Jerry" Smith, CG

Gerald H. “Jerry” Smith, CG, is a full-time professional Certified Genealogist specializing in Pennsylvania research. He has been a course coordinator for IGHR (Land Platting) and a faculty member for other courses at IGHR, SLIG, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Researching Family in Pennsylvania. He is the author of a number of books and journal articles. He researches extensively on projects requiring in-depth knowledge of proprietor and commonwealth land records, mapping, and land placement. Regular research venues include the Pennsylvania Archives, State Library of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Law Library, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, military repositories (including David Library of the American Revolution and US Army Military History Institute), National Archives, religious & denominational repositories, county courthouses, and county and local historical and genealogical societies. Southern Pennsylvania border county research includes frequent on-site research at repositories in Annapolis, Baltimore, Maryland counties, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Faye Jenkins Stallings, CG

Faye Jenkins Stallings, CG, is an avid genealogist conducting family history research in the south for more than 30 years. Faye is the President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, following her service as BCG Vice President for 2021–2022. She formerly served as the President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Genealogical Society following the merger of NGS and FGS in 2020. She also serves as a Board member for her local society in Montgomery County, Texas, and she is the Director of the FamilySearch Center in Conroe, Texas. She is a professional genealogist at Southern Hearts Genealogy and received her Certified Genealogist credential in 2018. In her prior professional career, she was a Certified Public Accountant and held various corporate positions with a Fortune 100 company, including Assistant Corporate Controller, subsidiary Controller and Chief Financial Officer, General Auditor, and Chief Ethics Officer. She is a sixth-generation Kentuckian and loves spending time with her family—both the living and the dead.

Karen Stanbary, LCSW, AM, CG, CGG

Karen Stanbary, LCSW, AM, CG, CGG, BCG Trustee, is an author and national lecturer focusing on topics related to using genetic evidence correlated with documentary evidence to solve genealogical brick walls. A Chicago local, she holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago and has completed advanced graduate study in Social Anthropology at the Colegio de Michoacán, Mexico. Her genealogical practice specializes in Midwestern U.S., Chicago, and Mexican research as well as complex problem-solving, unknown parentage, and DNA analysis. She is a coordinator and faculty member at IGHR, and SLIG. She received the NGSQ Award for Excellence for two complex evidence case studies incorporating traditional documentary research and autosomal DNA analysis in the June 2016 and June 2023 issues of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She published “Drowning in DNA? The Genealogical Proof Standard Tosses a Lifeline” in Debbie Parker Wayne’s book Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. She holds the credentials Certified Genealogist and Certified Genetic Genealogist from the Board for Certification of Genealogists where she serves as a Trustee and is chair of the DNA Committee.

Lisa Stokes, AG

Lisa Stokes, AG, is a professional genealogist accredited in the Mid-South region of the United States. She serves as a Commissioner for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) and leads the Education Committee. In this capacity, she runs the ICAPGen Study Groups, mentoring aspiring genealogists as they learn about accreditation. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science in Education from Brigham Young University (BYU) and loves to teach, lecture, and coach others in overcoming research challenges.

Lisa co-coordinated “Becoming an Accredited Genealogist” in 2022 and 2023 and presented at RootsTech, SLIG Day at the Family History Library, and the BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy. She also teaches an online citation course to help genealogists simplify citation writing.

Lisa loves to quilt, garden, hike, and spend time with her husband, four children, and eleven grandchildren. Her favorite request from her grandchildren is, “Grandma, tell us a story about our family!”

Cari A. Taplin, CG

Cari A. Taplin, CG, is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least that’s what her family told her. As a result, finding her true heritage has been her focus since the year 2000. She is a native of Wood County, Ohio but migrated to Wyoming, Texas, and Colorado. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. She currently serves on the boards of the Association for Professional Genealogists. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking, research, and consultation services. Cari focuses on midwestern and Great Lakes states and methodology.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA, is a nationally known genealogical researcher and speaker. Passionate about family history, Joshua is the President of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B). He is a frequent speaker at family history events across the globe and is a course coordinator at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Recognized for his work in the field, Joshua is the recipient of the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society, the Award of Merit from the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and was named one of Library Journal's Movers and Shakers. In 2022 he was named a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association. Joshua formerly served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College and has been a featured genealogist on Who Do You Think You Are? as a host on the popular PBS series Genealogy Roadshow.

Maureen Taylor

Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, helps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others.

 

Mindy Taylor, AG

Mindy Taylor, AG, is a professional genealogist, teacher, and presenter. She is accredited through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) in the England region. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University, and a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. Mindy serves on the Presentation Committee for ICAPGen, creating instructional videos that appear on the ICAPGen YouTube channel. She has presented at RootsTech, the BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy, and other local conferences teaching classes for those who wish to improve their research skills. She also teaches and mentors study groups for ICAPGen. Mindy works for Price Genealogy in Draper, Utah, doing U.S. and British research.

Tanner Blair Tolman, AG

Tanner Tolman, AG, has worked as a professional genealogist for 11 years. He currently works full-time for FamilySearch where he regularly helps guests with Nordic and DNA research. He has a bachelor’s degree in Family History and Genealogy from BYU and is accredited for Danish research through ICAPGen. He currently serves as the 2nd Vice President of the Utah Genealogical Association and is a co-administrator for the Youmans Y-DNA surname project.

Amy Urman

Amy Urman is a licensed private investigator, professional genealogist, speaker, and the owner of Nosy Wilma LLC. She performs heir, land, water, and mining rights searches, along with location and asset recoveries. Her passion for investigation and genealogy sprang from a deep-seated curiosity about history and lineage. As a co-founder and former president of the Pima County Genealogy Society, she played a pivotal role in transforming a small genealogy club into a thriving nonprofit society. Currently, she serves as an NGS delegate for the society. Amy generously volunteers her time on the Arizona DAR State Lineage Committee and is a proud member of several esteemed organizations, including NGS, APG, DAR, Arizona Association of Licensed Private Investigators, and the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board. She is a graduate of ProGen, holds a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. Beyond her professional pursuits, Amy is a taphophile, an enthusiastic collector of mourning artifacts and is fascinated by the study of historical mourning practices.

Pamela J. Vittorio, MA, PLCGS

Pamela J. Vittorio, MA (NYU), PLCGS, is a Brooklyn-based historian, Associate Teaching Professor (The New School University), and a professional genealogist. She acquired a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University and a PLCGS from the International Institute of Genealogical Studies. Her lecture topics include: artifacts; DNA; Loyalists, land, military, and transportation history (railroads, North American Canals, stagecoach travel, etc.). Pamela writes and edits genealogies and family histories for museum exhibits as well as clients of diverse backgrounds, including African American, Canadian, English, French, German, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish, and Scottish. She is currently the VP of Programming for the Italian Genealogical Group, and volunteers as a mentor for NGS Advanced Skills courses and the GenProof Study Group.

Diane M. Warmsley, MS

Diane M. Warmsley, MS, is a professional genealogist and family historian with thirty years of experience. She holds a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education and was a student in the inaugural SLIG African American Genealogy Course. Diane, a former Director of Admissions, began her career as a New York City public school teacher before transitioning to higher education and holding several administrative positions over the course of more than two decades. She holds a graduate degree in Administration & Supervision in Higher Education from Baruch College, CUNY.

She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and the Greater New York Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (where she served as Vice-President and Chair of the Genealogy Committee and Writers Group). She has lectured throughout the country and in the Caribbean at private organizations, genealogical societies and national institutes including the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society’s national conferences, Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), and the New York State Family History Conference. Diane taught in the SLIG African American Genealogy Course in 2021 and 2023. She also contributed research on the Bahamian roots of Tamera Mowry-Housley, in season 9 of Finding Your Roots.

Diane is currently working on an African American Burial Ground Project with Stony Brook University (SUNY) to uncover the names of those interred on land in Stony Brook, Long Island.

Mark A. Wentling, MLS, CG

Mark A. Wentling, MLS, CG, is a full-time forensic genealogist with more than 25 years of research experience. He is a current board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), an adjunct professor of genealogy in the University of New Haven's Graduate Certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy program, and the owner of Ancestor Introductions, LLC. He chaired APG’s recent work to update to its Code of Ethics & Professional Practices. He served as first Vice President of APG’s Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group, 2020 to 2021, and as Vice President of APG's New England Chapter, 2018 to 2020, where he developed its peer-mentoring program. He is a former board member of the Association of Genealogy Educators & Schools (AGES), and sits on its curriculum development committee. He specializes in unknown heir research for attorneys, military repatriation, Revolutionary War and Mayflower lineages, and New England and New York genealogy. His research has been published in The New England Historical & Genealogical Register and The Mayflower Descendant, and recognized by the New York State Assembly and New York State Office of Historic Preservation. He holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, a Master of Library Science degree with archives concentration from University of Maryland at College Park, and a BA in Sociology.

Scott Wilds, CG

Scott Wilds, CG, has been an avid genealogist for fifty years. He is currently genealogical consultant to the Penn and Slavery Project at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been an instructor in several SLIG courses, including those on African American research and certification. In 2023, he and LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG, vetted enslaver lineages for the Reuters investigative series, Slavery’s Descendants: The Ancestral Ties to Slaveholding of Today’s Political Elite (https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-slavery/). His lineage of three generations of an African American family, from West Africa to the Great Migration, is on the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ Learning Center website, and he has published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Board-certified since 2017, Scott is a BCG trustee. For the last twenty years, much of his research has focused on Darlington County, SC. His website, https://scottwilds.com/, contains abstracts of slave-related deeds and other documents and includes indexes to ration books and medical records from the Freedmen’s Bureau field office in Darlington. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he has a master’s degree in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania and was an associate editor of the Papers of William Penn.

Ari Wilkins

Ari Wilkins, FTxSGS, is a genealogist who has been actively researching family history for over twenty-five years. As a lecturer, Ms. Wilkins has spoken nationally at the National Genealogical Society, the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research, the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, RootsTech, and a multitude of state and local societies. She is also the coordinator of the African American course for the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research.

In 2023, Ari was awarded the Lloyd Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award by the Dallas Genealogical Society for her outstanding contributions to the genealogical community on a national level. Ms. Wilkins is also a fellow of the Texas State Genealogical Society.

Ari speaks on a variety of genealogical subjects and specializes in African American research.

Paul Woodbury, MEd, AG

Paul Woodbury, AG, MEd, is a Senior Researcher at Legacy Tree Genealogists where he has helped solve hundreds of genetic genealogy cases. He graduated from Brigham Young University where he studied Genetics and Family History. He also holds a master’s degree in Instructional Design and Educational Technology. In addition to genetic genealogy, he loves research in France (for which he has received accreditation through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists). He regularly presents on genetic genealogy and French research topics in webinars, institutes, and conferences.

Christine Woodcock

Christine Woodcock is a genealogy educator with an expertise in the Scottish records. Christine enjoys sharing knowledge and opportunities to assist others in their quest to find their Scottish ancestors and to help preserve their family legacy.

As an immigrant herself, Christine is always interested in the stories of other immigrants and helping their ancestors to find out more about them.

Christine was a frequent contributor to Internet Genealogy Magazine. As well, she writes articles for various genealogical society newsletters and has presented at numerous genealogical societies in North America as well as for family history societies in Scotland. Christine has been speaking at regional and national genealogical conferences since 2012. Christine presents webinars on a regular basis and has been running virtual events since 2018. She presented the Scottish class at British Institute in Salt Lake City in 2019.

Christine is the co-chair of the Scottish Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Ontario Genealogical Society and is responsible for their virtual programs. She is also the Syllabus Secretary (Program Chair) for the Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society and is a member of Council (Board) for the Lanarkshire Family History Society, both of which are based in Scotland.

 

* The words Accredited Genealogist and its acronym, AG, are a registered accreditation mark of the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists℠, used under license by accredited genealogists after periodic evaluation.

** The words Certified Genealogist and its acronym, CG, are a registered certification mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Also, the designations Certified Genealogical Lecturer and its acronym, CGL, and Certified Genetic Genealogist and its acronym, CGG, are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. All are used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.